The Environmental Crimes unit of the Criminal Police Department arrested a suspect for poaching endangered snow leopards for sale on Monday. It is suspected that the 27-30 year-old Govi-Altai native planned to sell illegally hunted snow leopards in Ulaanbaatar.

The criminal case has now been transferred to the Bayanzurkh District Police for further investigation. According to the international (IUCN, 2010) and regional (IUCN, 2006) assessments, the snow leopard is listed as an endangered species. The snow leopard is listed in the Convention on International Trade in the Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I (UNEP-WCMC, 2006) and in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Appendix 1.

The snow leopard is legally protected by the Mongolian Law on Fauna and Hunting, where its hunting is prohibited and listed as a very rare species in the second edition of the Mongolian Red Book. 

According to reports, environmental crimes, in particular the trafficking of wildlife, timber and fauna, has become more serious and harmful and are those involved are often found to be thorough and organized.